Reeling Grizzlies end skid with win over Bulls

(The Sports Xchange) - In the quiet of the Chicago Bulls' locker room Tuesday night at FedExForum, point guard Derrick Rose tried to explain how a virtual must-win game for his team turned into a 108-92 loss to the reeling and hobbled Memphis Grizzlies.

"They just played like they wanted to get to the playoffs," said Rose, who went just 5-for-15 from the floor and finished with 12 points, eight assists and five turnovers.

Asked where the Bulls (39-39) go from here, Rose said: "I really don't know. We gotta figure it out one way or another. It's going to be a long night."

The Grizzlies (42-36) needed the victory almost as badly as the Bulls did. They snapped a six-game losing streak behind power forward Zach Randolph's 27 points and 10 rebounds.

"We've been searching and we've been desperate for a win," Randolph said. "We wanted it. We want every game. We lost six in a row. We ain't lost that many since I first got here seven years ago. We just gotta keep playing, man."

As if Randolph needed any more motivation, Bulls rookie forward Bobby Portis was mixing it up with Randolph from the start. Big mistake.

"I would leave that dog alone early in games," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "He got into it with young fella and he got very engaged."

The Bulls saw their dwindling playoff chances grow smaller. Detroit (41-37) lost Tuesday night but stayed two games ahead of the Bulls for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with each team having four games left to play.